Small Urban Courtyard with Easy-Maintenance Plants, Fountain and Seating Area

To fill out a small outdoor space, look for easy-maintenance plants that look good though the seasons. For an Atlanta courtyard, Cultivators Design and Landscape used sedums, bamboo and acorus grass, which are hardy and easy to grow, says landscape architect and owner Derrick Lepard.

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Mahogany-trimmed glass doors lead the way to a quiet patio oasis, complete with a small outdoor table and pair of chairs. Towering palm trees, bamboo and other tropical plants surround the space, providing a natural element of privacy.

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This luxurious outdoor pool boasts all-over white stone features, including the partition that separates the walkway from the pool area. Bamboo lounge chairs with tan cushions line the concrete pool patio, while palm trees and other tropical plants decorate the surrounding landscape.

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With small spaces, sometimes the sky is the limit. "Add verticality. Small spaces need an element to draw your eye up," says Derrick Lepard, founder of Cultivators Design and Landscape. When you add height, such as bamboo in a container in this Atlanta courtyard, you don't need to spend money on plants to fill every space across the fence or wall.

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This 1,672-square-foot Santa Barbara, California home features stunning tropical landscaping, including fruit trees, palm trees and towering bamboo plants. The ranch-style home boasts mahogany wood accents throughout and easily incorporates indoor-outdoor living with open air kitchen, dining and living spaces.

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This imaginative configuration incorporates trees, bamboo, walkways, an outdoor oven and decking made from Yellow Stringybark into a natural open space by COS Design. Landscape by Signature Landscapes.

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This is the front view showcases a beautiful landscape design that was created to withstand the Texas Heat and provide cover for the home. A xeriscape with crushed rock and organized plants create eye-catching appeal. A raised planter features bamboo that gives an attractive striped effect to the view toward the white exterior walls.

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Landscape designers for this backyard paid careful attention to the plants' texture and size. Thin, narrow bamboo is used as a privacy screen, as well as an existing cherry tree. Succulents and perennials bring in color.

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This simple home office space features a contemporary desk made from a mix medium grain wood and tiger stripe bamboo. The surrounding floor-to-ceiling windows offer natural light and a view of the backyard landscape.

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HGTV designers turned this large, austere side yard into a stunning outdoor living room with fabulous landscaping and a creative bench design. Bamboo trees planted around the perimeter add a feeling of privacy to this comfortable outdoor space.

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In this contemporary exterior lounge at condo residence in Brazil, the designer used an ecological fire pit by Construflama. The negative edge pool blends with the landscape, and plants such as bamboo and trees offer privacy and maximize the view. The project by designer Alex Hanazaki won a 2014 American Society of Landscape Architects award.